-- home from afghanistan this summer. understand there will be more fighting in the months and years to come, but i am confident because of the service of men and women like leroy we will be able to say of this generation what president reagan once said of those rangers who took the cliffs on d-day. these are the heros who helped end a war. i would ask all of you our rang, members of the 9/11 generation, to stand and accept the thanks of a grateful nation. [applause] [applause] >> finally, the service of leroy petry speaks to the very essence of america. that spirit that says no matter how hard the journey, no matter how steep the climb we don't quit. we don't give up. leroy lost a hand, and those wounds in his legs sometimes make it hard for him to stand, but he pushes on. and he even joined his fellow rangers for a grueling 20-mile march. he could have focused only on his own recovery, but today he helps care for other wounded warriors, inspiring them with his example. given his wounds, he could have retired from the ar